San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean couldn't be prouder of his team

File: Brian Sabean, architect of the San Francisco Giants team, takes a look at his creation during spring training camp at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday, February 19, 2009. (Karl Mondon/Staff)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Win or lose over the next couple of days, general manager Brian Sabean is bursting with pride about his 2012 Giants. He can't say enough good things about them right now as they try to pull off another postseason comeback in the National League Championship Series.

"It's a unique group," said Sabean on Saturday. "I don't know if they love to win as much as they hate to lose. What I do know they are very committed to this to the very end."

Sabean spoke on a variety of subjects as the Giants went through a voluntary workout at AT&T Park, but his primary message is that he's amazed as everyone else that this team keeps coming back from the brink to play another day, especially against a St. Louis team that carries the same kind of play-to-the-last-strike ethic.

The general manager doesn't know where it will go from here, even though the Giants seem to be in decent position again with two games at home to finish the NLCS and arguably their two most effective starters at the moment, Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain, going back to back against St. Louis.

"We'll see," Sabean said. "The Cardinals are very tough to play anywhere at any time because of their recent World Series experience and what they've been through this year, especially in the postseason. Sometimes you wonder at this stage how much there is a home-field advantage. Because of the strength of the two bullpens, it's probably more about whoever can get a lead and can hold off the other team will win the ballgame.

Advertisement

"But we know what's at stake," he continued. "We know that they're going to come hard against us, but I know Vogey will be ready, and if we get to Cain, I know he will be ready."

Sabean said he really doesn't know where this Giants team gets its inner resolve, although he has some clues. The club overcame so many setbacks during the regular season -- the losses of Brian Wilson and Melky Cabrera, just to name two -- yet won the N.L. West and already has staged one unprecedented rally to win a postseason series.

"In some ways, it's just a human group dynamic," he said. "There's an old saying in sports that it's not how good you are, but how well you play. To me, it's a throwback type of team in that they enjoy coming to the ballpark, they respect the game, they love playing the game and they realize what's at stake and are really trying to make a name for themselves."

When presented names, Sabean was specifically effusive. For instance, asked about Barry Zito's winning effort in Game 5, the general manager didn't hold anything back.

"If you look at the Cardinals during the regular season -- 50-31 at home and 31-17 against left-handed pitching -- it was just a great performance in a tough environment," Sabean said. "It was a do-or-die scenario, and he really stepped up."

Sabean also had high praise for shortstop Brandon Crawford, who has delivered several big hits down the stretch and in the postseason, none bigger than his two-out, bases-loaded single Friday night that pushed a 1-0 lead to 3-0.

"It was an excellent at-bat, especially with the pitcher on deck," he said. "In some ways, I thought they pitched around (Gregor) Blanco to get to Crawford, and he took advantage of the at-bat. But he's come such a long way as a hitter, and if you look at his shortstop play in the second half, this kid has a chance to be All-Star caliber in the short term."

As for second baseman Marco Scutaro, Sabean admitted he never dreamed his late July acquisition would have the kind of monumental impact he has had on the Giants. Initially acquired as an emergency replacement for injured Pablo Sandoval, Sabean declined to answer if he even would have tried to acquire Scutaro had Sandoval not gotten hurt.

"Scutaro was on our radar in the offseason, but we went in another direction with our budget," he said. "We knew him as a good all-around player, but no, quite frankly, we didn't expect this. Where we really caught fire is Pagan returning to the leadoff spot and Scutaro becoming one of the better No. 2 hitters in all of baseball in the second half.

"To see what he's done with a lot of his at-bats, whether it's to start a rally, continue an inning or drive in a run, it's been needed," Sabean added. "It's very difficult for somebody on the mound to pitch to him."

While Buster Posey has had a difficult series offensively, Sabean said his catcher is still at the center of everything the Giants have done to this point.

"We think Buster is an All-Star-caliber, MVP-type player, and for him now to be in a position to go to a second World Series in three years is pretty amazing," he said.

Lastly, Sabean couldn't dish out widespread praise without addressing the job Bruce Bochy and his coaches have done this season.

"We've got a great manager and a great coaching staff," he said. "I don't think enough's been said or written about what they've done, really, the last three years.

"This year, they really put it into overdrive in the second half, and a lot of that has had to do with how they define everybody's role, keep everybody involved and allow everybody a chance to contribute."